Jean-Luc Mélenchon is problematic, but ostracising France’s radical left is a failed strategy | Rokhaya Diallo

2026-03-23 - 14:39

It may be time for a new generation to lead La France Insoumise. But local elections have shown the movement’s resilience As the results of the French local elections sink in, it is useful to reflect on the shifting moral boundaries in public debate that characterised the campaign. In the weeks leading up to the first round of voting on 15 March, criticism directed at the radical-left party La France Insoumise (LFI) and its confrontational leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, reached new levels of intensity. Mélenchon had become, it seemed, the undisputed “bad guy” of French political life. Yet, for the first time in its history, the radical left now has control of several cities – including Saint-Denis, the second-largest municipality in the Paris region and after Sunday’s run-offs, Roubaix, one of France’s poorest cities, previously controlled by the right. Rokhaya Diallo is a French journalist, writer, film-maker and activist Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...